


Unfinished Tales

by Meruchan0720



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-08 08:57:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3203381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meruchan0720/pseuds/Meruchan0720
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Summary: The HitmanAU nobody asked for.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: The HitmanAU nobody asked for.

“I hate stakeouts.”

Makoto chuckles quietly, covering his mouth to further muffle the sounds even though he and his partner are hidden high up a few rooftops away from their target location. “It’s not so bad, Sousuke,” he says, giving him a sideways glance.

It isn’t, at least, not really. They are stationed in a humid, nondescript island in the South Pacific, several miles away from the nearest city. The place is heavy and dense with foliage and it surrounded an empty, eerie lot with abandoned and old warehouses spread out before them. It’s past midnight and nearly everything on ground level is just shadowy darkness. The only source of light they have is the full moon and the stars. It’s not enough but they’re used to operating in the dark anyhow so it isn’t too bad. They’d been to worse places before and this hardly makes up the top ten locations neither of them would want to visit again. Ever.

“It’s dark and it’s humid, Makoto. I’ve been bitten by a cloud of mosquitos and I swear there’s a cockroach hiding under that rock,” Sousuke deadpans with a long-suffering sigh. He irritably runs his fingers through his dark hair. “You know how much I hate them.”

Makoto has to admit that the raven-haired man has a point but he still can’t help snickering. Hate really isn’t the word Makoto would use about Sousuke’s longstanding relationship with roaches but he isn’t going to say anything out loud to him. It’s already an open secret within their organization and has been the source of really questionable bullet holes.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Sousuke says dryly before he smirks at Makoto evilly. “I bet you don’t know these kinds of places are usually haunted, right? In fact,” Sousuke pauses, looking over Makoto’s shoulder, “I think I see something white moving over there right now.”

A shiver goes up Makoto’s spine as he stiffens, looking over his shoulder and seeing nothing behind him. He sees nothing and he pouts at Sousuke, giving him a light punch in the arm. “You’re a jerk.”

“You started it.”

“As amusing as this is, gentlemen, your mark will arrive in exactly eleven minutes and five seconds,” says a tinny voice in their ears. “Please keep your focus.”

“Sorry, Rei,” Makoto apologizes automatically.

Sousuke huffs. “Easy for you to say, Ryugazaki. You’re not the one waiting in this dump and mosquitoes aren’t feasting on your blood.”

“I didn’t pick the rendezvous point, Yamazaki-san. Besides, I highly doubt that mosquitos would be biting you as much as you say,” Rei says and Sousuke tips his head back and readies himself from the inevitable litany of words. “I was there while you were preparing and I know for certain that you are, in fact, armored and equipped perfectly for this mission. I’ll have you know, I picked every single piece and took every consideration about the location’s climate, temperature and wildlife…”

Sousuke tunes him out while Makoto happily responds to whatever Rei’s saying with vague but appropriate noises. Coincidentally, Makoto and Rei knew each other from high school and they belonged to the same swim club which is why Rei insists on calling Makoto his senpai.

At least, Sousuke doesn’t have to deal with him when he gets into one of his moods.

He begins to rummage around the small backpacks at their feet and found himself a sandwich from Makoto’s bag. (Stealing sandwiches is nothing when you’ve been stuck in a hole in the middle of nowhere with the same guy for days at a time.)

“Why did they pick this place anyway? Most syndicate leaders nowadays buy their own yachts or have their transactions in high class places,” Sousuke says as he takes a bite off the sandwich, brows furrowing as he chews thoughtfully before looking at what’s inside. “Oh, God,” he groans, “is this _mackerel_?”

“That’s only in the movies and you know that,” Makoto says to him as he turns to his side to grab a heavy looking case and put it in front of him. He opens the case, revealing an impressive set of parts. “As for the sandwich, yes, it is mackerel. Sorry, it became a habit now.”

“I’m blaming Mackerel Boy for this. You used to have good taste, Makoto.”

“You don’t have to eat it, you know. You’re just too stubborn to put it back.”

“Damn right,” he mutters before tearing into the sandwich again. “I bet my life would be easier if this was a movie. Think about it. Unlimited ammo, blind enemy shooters and near immortality for us.” He looks down and whistles as Makoto begins to assemble what looks to be a gun. More specifically, a sniper rifle. “Is that a Barrett .50? How come you get to have one?”

“Because he filed the proper paperwork and requested for it on time,” Rei responds as if it’s the most obvious thing because Makoto has always been responsible about their paperwork.

“I filed mine on time, too,” Sousuke reminds him because he remembers submitting his own requisition papers for the same model. He seldom has to request anything to begin with so he knows when he does.

“Yes, and Makoto-senpai wants you to have his,” Rei answers. “So it wouldn’t do to give you a new one when there’s a nearly mint condition one that can be transferred to you. You only need to fill up the proper asset transfer forms and submit it to the Asset Management Division for filing and approval.”

“Why?”

Makoto stops assembling the parts and sighs, staring idly at the gun he starts to assemble again purely by muscle memory. He looks at Sousuke who raises his eyebrows expectantly. “Stop looking at me like that. I don’t have your freaky psychic thing so you’d better tell me what he’s talking about.”

“I’m retiring after this job, Sousuke.” He smiles softly. “This is the first time I’m going to use this one… and it’s going to be my last. You’re one of my closest friends so I really want you to have it.”

“Retiring? You’re planning to retire and you didn’t bother telling me this earlier?” he snaps before he could stop himself.

Makoto looks guilty. “I never had the chance to. I’m sorry.”

Sousuke doesn’t say anything. He looks out over the half dozen dilapidated roof tops and takes a deep breath. “It’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m happy for you really,” he says because what else can he say? And most of it is the truth anyhow. He does want Makoto to be happy but they’ve been through a lot (since they were eighteen and they met in a nondescript building in Tokyo and landed themselves in the most intensive training they ever had while in college) and he doesn’t trust anyone else to guard his back. But he also knew that they can’t continue this sort of work all their lives. Which then makes him think about what he’s going to do for the rest of _his_ life.

Better not think about it before a mission.

“So, it’s Mackerel Boy, huh? You two getting serious?”

Makoto huffs at the nickname but he gives Sousuke the softest smile of a man in love (ugh, they’re so lovey-dovey, it’s disgusting). “Believe it or not, Haru proposed.”

“Didn’t think he had the balls for it.” No, wait, never mind. Between these two, Nanase would definitely be the one to propose. He just didn’t think he’d _actually_ do it.

Sousuke has been the unwilling witness to their love story though he was dropped right in the middle of it. According to Makoto, they’ve been the best of friends since they were in diapers and had grown closer and closer that becoming lovers was just as natural as breathing. They know what the other likes, they finish each other’s sentences (even goes so far as to read each other’s minds) and they were practically joined at the hip. It’s all fairy-tale like, really.

They fell in love then circumstances forced them to break up. It turns out that Nanase was (is) a gifted swimmer and he was urged by his parents to move to Australia to compete on a global scale after high school. According to Ryugazaki, the results were devastating. Nanase didn’t want to go but Makoto, being the selfless, oblivious idiot that he is, urged him to if that was what he wanted and then told him that long distance relationships rarely work out so it would be best for them to break up (yeah, he gave Makoto the eye for that one until he squirmed).

In the end, Nanase went but since he’s a stubborn ass, he didn’t go into professional swimming but studied Culinary Arts instead. After five years, he came back one day and applied for the job as head chef in Makoto’s café and restaurant.

And they picked up right where they left off (after weeks of pussyfooting around each other and passive aggressive glares that were aimed at the back of Sousuke’s head because Nanase was – is – a jealous son of a bitch).

“Nanase Haruka proposed to Tachibana Makoto on the tenth of September at 7:46PM on their annual trip to their hometown of Iwatobi,” Rei interjected, reciting the words almost mechanically as if he’s reading from a report (which he probably was). “It was a clear night and he proposed at the beach after they finished their dinner of grilled mackerel, miso and rice.”

“What, you don’t have their wedding date yet?” More importantly… “How are you two marrying in Japan? It’s not legal, is it?”

“Well, his parents are living in America,” Makoto says with a light blush. “So we’ll have our wedding there.”

“And if you must know, they’re thinking of a summer wedding with the honeymoon somewhere in the Carribean. No cruises though because Makoto-senpai thinks that Nanase-san would probably jump ship.”

“There’s no ‘probably’ to it,” Sousuke huffs, having seen Nanase in his… strangest. Needless to say, he didn’t think anyone would be that obsessive with water until he’d seen Makoto try to stop his boyfriend (now fiancé) from jumping into the dolphin tanks. They barely escaped being banned from the aquarium after that stunt.

“As expected from our Intelligence agent,” Makoto praises, clapping softly. They’re all pretty used to surveillance at this point; no matter how creepy it looks to everyone else, it just doesn’t bother them as much anymore.

Sousuke doesn’t have to hear to know that Ryugazaki’s preening right now and he would have remarked about it but there’s a nondescript, black car trudging along in the dark, headlights unusually dim and followed by several others. It’s hard to tell who are inside the vehicles, even with the night vision binoculars, but Ryugazaki knows his intel.

“Makoto-senpai, Yamazaki-san,” Rei calls and his voice deepens with gravity. “Remember, our goal is to make sure that the package is extracted from enemy hands. This requires stealth more than anything else, no casualties, if possible.  Yamazaki-san, you will retrieve the package and Makoto-senpai will cover you from here in the event that you’re found. Our asset will be waiting at your next rendezvous point for the package at 06:00 hours. Instructions will be given to you then.”

Makoto and Sousuke barely grunted an affirmative as Sousuke tightened the leather gloves on his hands, eyes narrowed.

“Hey, I’m going to be the best man to your wedding, right?”

“Of course, you are. Speaking of which, I’m meeting Haru for dinner next week and I’d love it if you’ll be there. His best friend is coming all the way from Australia and I’m a little nervous to meet him.”

“Sure, I’ll be there. Got any names?”

“Matsuoka Rin. Please don’t look him up.”

“I won’t because I know Ryugazaki’s doing it already.”

“ _I-I am not_!”

Engines stop and headlights are already turned off. Makoto hides himself further in the shadows, lying on his stomach, already poised and aiming, ready to shoot. He doesn’t reply and Sousuke doesn’t mind because, right now, they have a job to do. He silently makes his way down just as armed men pour out of the cars and head off to one of the sturdier warehouses, watching them all disappear inside.

He looks in Makoto’s direction, finds him invisible from his sight but knows that he has his back. He cracks his knuckles in the shadows.

O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

As far as missions go, the last one was, by far, the easiest. Get the package and get out. It took a lot of planning and waiting from the Intelligence team but it was worth it. He had to knock some people unconscious to get to the target, but ultimately, it ended smoothly with neither party the wiser and accusing each other.

(No casualties mean both parties think there wasn’t a third party involved for the time being.)

Sousuke has been on a lot of missions, some pretty bad and others that went spectacularly to shit so he doesn’t understand why he’s suddenly tense and uncomfortable in a _family restaurant_ , of all places.

_Why_ are they in a family restaurant to begin with when Makoto has a state of the art kitchen back at the café anyway? And Nanase’s a chef, for goodness’ sake.

“So, Matsuoka-san is a swim coach, then? That sounds wonderful!” Makoto chirps, beaming brightly.

“It is! It can get pretty competitive but it’s really fulfilling. And please, call me Rin,” comes the easy reply. “I’ve been in Australia too long.”

“Only if you call me Makoto,” Makoto responds readily. On his right, Nanase looks as happy as a clam (as much as his face shows anyway) to find Makoto and his best friend getting along. “Sousuke runs the gym across the street from our café. He teaches martial arts a few days a week.”

“Oh? Which one?”

Sousuke feels the tension in him rise again as mischievous red eyes turn to him. An angular face framed by long red hair and a ready, bright grin shouldn’t make him feel uneasy but it does anyway. He clears his throat, tries a smile that feels too awkward. “I teach capoeira.”

“That’s the one that looks like dancing, right?”

“Most martial arts look like dancing,” Sousuke replies unthinkingly, his voice coming out slightly abrupt. Nanase glares at him but that’s not new (and he doesn’t really care because that’s just how the two of them work) and Matsuoka Rin just bursts out laughing, punching him in the arm like they’ve been friends forever.

“I just walked right into that one, didn’t I?” he says, eyes crinkling at the sides just so and Sousuke’s heart skips a beat. “I meant breakdancing.”

Sousuke blinks and just looks at him, heat rising up his cheeks as he turns to his already cold food. “Yeah, that one.”


	2. SNKAU Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Attack on Titan AU nobody asked for.
> 
> PART 1

Nanase Haruka has to be the most talented in the Scouting Legion, graduating at the top of his class with Matsuoka Rin a very close, very competent second. Shortly after graduating from the Academy, the two have been in a few short term expeditions with more than ten confirmed titan kills between them, an impressive feat between relatively new recruits.

They are the pride of the legion; Haruka who is calm and collected but graceful in the air and deadly with the blades and Rin who is passion and energy, dancing in the wind yet precise in every swing. Together, they face the danger very few have the courage to just so they can give mankind a better future.

That’s what is being printed about Haruka anyway. Rin, as far as he knows, is doing it in honor of his father. His father was a member of the Scouting Legion, too, and passed away in one of their previous expeditions. Rin takes pride in that which is why he followed in his footsteps. As for Haruka? He only ever joined the legion because Rin’s there and he’d been pulled into the same direction even if he is (happy? No. Satisfied? Not really.) content (no, not content either) with his life.

And because…

_“Haru-chan!”_

_A wide smile. Green eyes crinkling at the sides._

_“Haru-chan, come look at this!”_

_Smaller hands than his wrapped around his wrist, pulling, tugging. A kind, eager smile. Green eyes wide and excited._

_The sky seemed to darken and then there’s fire and smoke. Walls falling down, people screaming, pushing and running._

_Total chaos. Titans rushing in, blood and dead bodies everywhere._

_“Haru-chan! Haru-chan!”_

_Panicked shouting amidst the noise. Small hands grasped together but was separated by the crowd._

_Green eyes full of fear, wide and getting farther and farther and farther…_

_Gone._

“Haru. Oi, Haru, pay attention!”

Haru blinks. It’s not the first time that he’s had that waking nightmare. He gives Rin a sidelong glance then turns his attention back to the formation, to the sun shining in the sky, the three dozens of horses in formation and the steady clip clop of hooves on the ground. The area is open with a smattering of old buildings, no sign of titans anywhere yet but they’re only a quarter of the way to their destination – an abandoned building that many a squad uses as a base before going further beyond the walls.

In front of him, Mikoshiba Seijuuro leads the formation, signaling with a brisk movement that they will be separating from everyone else. It is a well-practiced procedure that was drilled into their heads and everyone knows what they’ll be doing. All the members of the expedition begin to move.

Rin and Haruka’s group are made of scouts. They report titan sightings and if necessary, will head off any titans who approach their caravan.

They stay behind, slowing down just enough to put distance between them and the center but not so much that they lose sight of everyone else. Overhead, plumes of colored smoke from the flares rise up.

There’s no sign yet but Haruka knows how titans move. More often than not, they don’t do anything unless a human is near and that makes them unnoticeable until the last moment. How they can tell is still a mystery and not something anyone is willing to risk finding out.

As expected, it didn’t take too long for titans to appear. Some of them are concealed by the dilapidated buildings while others run, making the ground tremble in their wake. But they weren’t any match for either Haruka or Rin. Titan corpses littered the land, steam rising from drying blood and flesh.

There’s no room to talk but they nod at each other before resuming formation.

They don’t see the deformed ten meter titan until it slammed its foot into Haruka’s horse, sending him flying into the air, too shocked that he missed firing his gear at one of the few trees still left standing in the area. He falls into a breathless heap on the ground, intense pain blossoming at his side though the injuries are uncertain. He vaguely hears Rin shout his name amidst the ringing in his ears but his gaze is glued to the large brown blur that was approaching him.

Something grabs him by his cape before a large hand can snatch him, dragging him along the ground and away from the titan.

“Haru, snap out of it! Come on, get up!” Rin shouts as he drives his horse forward as fast as it can go, holding onto Haruka’s cape tightly until he gets a grip on a stirrup and Rin’s arm. He pulls himself up even though his ribs protested intensely and he grits his teeth as he settles behind Rin, wrapping his arms around Rin’s waist.

The problem is, their horses are trained for speed and they don’t run as fast with two riders. The titan is persistent and is gaining on them, getting closer and closer.

Then the ground begins to rumble twice as hard.

“ _Rin_ ,” Haruka hisses as he points over Rin’s shoulder.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Rin mutters urgently as he sees the approaching titan that could easily be fifteen meters tall. “We need help.”

Haruka reaches for the flare gun at Rin’s waist, carefully taking out a black flare and pointing it up at the sky. The shot goes up, a stark, thick black jet of smoke. Now, they’re going to have to wait for reinforcements, which is a lot harder than it sounds.  

Rin makes a sharp turn to the right, sending the titan skidding on the ground but it gains its momentum quickly enough to chase them again. Behind them, the new titan is gaining fast and actually passed the other but instead of coming after them, it spins around and kicks a foot out straight onto the titan’s face, sending it flying with impressive strength, its neck snapping with a painfully audible crack.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on,” Rin says triumphantly, “but this is our chance. Hold on, Haru!”

Haruka doesn’t say anything, his eyes glued to the titan that they’re leaving behind. It’s standing there, just watching them, tall and imposing. It had light brown hair, skin stretched and torn to reveal some muscle underneath.

But what stuck to Haruka’s mind is the flash of vibrant green eyes.


	3. SNKAU Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SNKAU 
> 
> PART 2

Haruka sits on his bed close to the window, propped up on pillows half of which he doesn’t own and his eyes glued to the pieces of paper on his lap. His hand moves freely and furiously on paper, not minding the charcoal staining his fingers, his palm and even the sheets. When he finishes, he drops the piece of charcoal and looks at the paper where he drew what details he can remember about the titan who rescued them.

A titan’s instinct is to chase and feed on humans, they said. It must have been an Aberrant titan – they aren’t exactly known for being predictable which makes them even more dangerous. It didn’t surprise him at all when they disregarded everything he reported – that something about it rescuing them and how it just stood there watching them get away screamed of a higher intelligence. He knows exactly how strange it sounds but no one would be able to explain the titan’s behavior at all unless researchers want to trash years upon years of very little data collected about them.

He looks at the picture and brushes dust carefully off of it. This one is a lot more accurate than the one he gave the Military Police. He changed a few details in that sketch; nothing too obvious that Rin would be able to point out if someone asks him (not that he paid too much attention to the titan since he was the one steering the horse). He knows he’s making a mistake and he knows that he’s probably jeopardizing what could be a breakthrough about titan behavior (or whatever it is that Rei’s researching about) even if nobody really believed him about it but he feels indebted to it. The next time they meet and he’ll be sure to kill it like many expect him to but for now, it’s safe.

It’s grotesque in the way most titans are grotesque but it was taller than most titans Haruka had encountered in the short time that he’s been with the Scouting Legion. He remembers its face, sharp and angular and definitely fierce-looking, framed by long, light brown hair. There are patches of skin that seemed to have been torn from its face, exposing the corded muscle around its right eye socket and its left jaw.

It has broad shoulders and a lean body covered entirely with firm, strong muscle, bunched under golden skin. Every movement it made was full of control and power. If Rei had seen it, he would have spouted what a beautiful specimen it was compared to all the others he had the displeasure of studying.

But what Haruka found the most distinguishing was its green eyes. Bright, green eyes that he’d only ever seen on one other person.

Haruka leans back, knocking his head on the headboard as he closes his eyes.

“Haru-chan!”

“Haru-chan!”

“Mou, Haru-chan…”

“Ne, Haru-chan!”

‘Makoto, stop it with the “chan” already!’ he can hear his younger self shout and those green eyes would widen impossibly in a small face before looking down at his feet, scuffing worn boots on the ground. He remembers Makoto biting his trembling lower lip, sniffling lightly.

It’s been ten years and while most of it is already a blur in Haruka’s mind, there are still memories that refuse to leave him.

Haruka remembers sighing, remembers to take Makoto’s smaller hand in his so they could go back to Makoto’s house but there was a loud noise from the distance followed immediately by chaos.

In just a few short moments, his life was changed forever.

He can’t forget the way those small fingers felt in his, warm and soft, slightly sweaty as they run through the streets, panting as they tried to avoid the panicking crowds to get back to their home.

Everything was in shambles when they got there. There was nothing left. Blood pooled and streamed everywhere, some red and still fresh while others were already a thick, rusty brown. There were no bodies and Haruka, even at a young age, knew what it meant.

He looked at Makoto, so small and fragile, pale with tears streaming down his cheeks. Haruka understood even a little. He loved Makoto’s family, too, since he didn’t have a family of his own. In fact, Makoto’s family took him in when his parents disappeared.

“Makoto, we have to go,” he said, tugging him away from the wreckage that was once his house. Makoto didn’t say anything, didn’t bawl or sob. Instead, he steeled his shoulders and looked at Haruka with determined eyes. He nodded shakily.

He remembers how they both ran before Makoto tripped and there it was just behind him, freakish face frozen in a smile and then –

“Haru-chan, run away! Go! Go!”

Makoto, who was only seven years old, didn’t scream for help. He screamed for Haruka to escape even as he disappeared inside a titan’s mouth.

And Haruka couldn’t do a thing. He just stood there on shaky knees and he would have gladly let himself be eaten if he weren’t rescued by someone from the Garrison.

Haruka takes in a deep, shuddering breath, staring at the ceiling. He doesn’t know why he’s remembering all of these memories now while he’s thinking about that titan.

It doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t want to remember anymore. There simply isn’t any point.

O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

The green-eyed titan ran and ran until the walled city was nothing but a memory. It stops at the foot of a mountain, steam coming out of it in bursts before there is nothing left.

Nothing but what seemed to be a human with light brown hair and bright green eyes.

“Mako-chan, you’re back!”


End file.
